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Control your time

You are busier than ever before.  Your job demands more, your family has multiple schedules to juggle, and you can't remember the last time you read a book just for the pleasure of reading.  Sound familiar?  I'm sure you've heard it before, but you need to create a schedule for yourself.  When you don't, you're pulled here and there responding to the activities around you, instead of controlling the activities that put demands on your schedule.  There are many tools to use for managing your schedule from Stephen Covey, Outlook, a simple calendar grid with your activities blocked out, and many others.  There are 2 important keys in any schedule:  schedule enough time for the activities you choose to do (this means being realistic about how much time tasks require, delegating some tasks and saying no to other tasks), and stick with it.  Which works the best for me?  All of them.  I have used many different schedulers over the years and find that they all work.  The only tough part is to stay disciplined in using them.  Are you controlling your time?  Or is your time controlling you?  I will guarantee that even if you don't quite follow your schedule 100%, you'll be more productive and have more free time than if you don't have any schedule at all.

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